Llegar Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

Llegar is an irregular verb that means “to arrive” or “to reach”. Learning how to conjugate ”llegar” in its various verb forms and tenses is essential for Spanish learners.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and in this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how to conjugate “llegar” in every Spanish tense.

Below, you’ll find a conjugation chart for each tense, an explanation for when this tense is used, and examples sentences showing how to use this Spanish verb in context.

Present Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	llego
you	tú	llegas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	llega
we	nosotros,nosotras	llegamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	llegáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	llegan

When We Use The Present Tense

The present tense is used to denote actions occurring at the present moment, such as arriving somewhere, habitual actions or routines, and scheduled events.

We use this tense in Spanish to convey the immediacy of an action, its regularity, or the fixed timing of an event.

For instance, we might say “El tren llega a las 5 (The train arrives at 5), or “James llega a Alicante este fin de semana” (James arrives in Alicante this weekend).

Other examples are “La mejor manera de llegar a Madrid es por aire.” (The best way of getting to Madrid is by air) or “Se puede llegar allí por dos medios, aire y agua” (You can get there by two means, by air and water).

Conjugations of the irregular verb “llegar” in the Present Tense:

1. Yo llego al trabajo en bicicleta. (I arrive at work by bike.)
2. Tú llegas temprano a la cita. (You arrive early to the appointment.)
3. Él/Ella llega tarde a la reunión. (He arrives late to the meeting.)
4. Nosotros llegamos juntos al concierto. (We arrive together at the concert.)
5. Vosotros llegáis cansados del viaje. (You all arrive tired from the trip.)
6. Ellos/Ellas llegan contentas al evento. (They arrive happily at the event.)
7. La altura de tales bosques puede llegar hasta 60 m. (The height of such woods can reach to 60 m.)

Preterite Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	llegué
you	tú	llegaste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	llegó
we	nosotros, nosotras	llegamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	llegasteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	llegaron

When We Use The Preterite Tense

Relating specifically to the Spanish verb “llegar”, the preterite tense in Spanish indicates specific actions or events completed in the past related to arriving somewhere at a specific time.

We use it when referring to a definite arrival at a particular time or place. For instance, “Llegué a casa a las 8 de la noche” (I arrived home at 8 p.m.)

Examples of “Llegar” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo llegué al aeropuerto de Roma justo a tiempo. (I arrived at the airport just in time.)
• ¿Llegaste tarde a la fiesta? (Did you arrive late to the party?)
• Él/Ella llegó al trabajo después del mediodía. (She arrived at work after noon.)
• Nosotros llegamos a la estación antes del cierre. (We arrived at the station before closing.)
• Vosotros llegasteis al concierto tarde. (You all arrived late to the concert.)
• Ellos/Ellas llegaron al restaurante antes de la hora de cierre. (They arrived at the restaurant before closing time.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	llegaba
you	tú	llegabas
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	llegaba
we	nosotros, nosotras	llegábamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	llegabais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	llegaban

When We Use The Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense in Spanish describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past, without specifying their completion.

The literal translation into English is “was arriving” or “used to arrive”. Indeed, we can use the imperfect tense in Spanish to use both of these English tenses.

The imperfect tense often portrays the background or setting of a narrative, expressing what used to happen or the circumstances surrounding an event. For this reason, you’ll often find this tense used in Spanish literature.

An example of the imperfect tense of “llegar” is “Llegábamos al parque todos los días” (We used to arrive at the park every day)

Examples of “Llegar” in the Imperfect Tense

1. Llegaba tarde a clase todos los días. (I used to arrive late to class every day.)
2. Tú llegabas a la estación justo cuando salía el tren. (You would arrive at the station just as the train was leaving.)
3. Él/Ella llegaba a la fiesta después de que todos se fueran. (He would arrive at the party after everyone had left.)
4. Nosotros llegábamos a la playa cuando el sol se ponía. (We used to arrive at the beach when the sun was setting.)
5. Vosotros llegabais a Madrid antes del amanecer. (You all would arrive in Madrid before dawn.)
6. Ellos/Ellas llegaban al restaurante cuando ya no había mesas disponibles. (They would arrive at the restaurant when there were no more tables available.)

Future Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	llegaré
you	tú	llegarás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	llegará
we	nosotros,nosotras	llegaremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	llegaréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	llegarán

When We Use The Future Tense

The future tense conveys actions or events expected to occur in the future, expressing forthcoming arrivals or arrivals that are certain to happen.

Used with the Spanish verb “llegar”, it signifies planned arrivals, scheduled events, or predictions about future arrivals.

The translation into English of the Spanish future tense is “will”.

For example, “El tren llegará al colegio las 10 de la mañana” (The train will arrive at the school at 10 in the morning).

Examples of the Future Tense “Llegar” Conjugation

1. Llegaré al aeropuerto a las 6 de la tarde. (I will arrive at the airport at 6 p.m.)
2. Tú llegarás tarde a la reunión si no sales ahora. (You will arrive late to the meeting if you don’t leave now.)
3. Él/Ella llegará a la estación justo a tiempo para tomar el tren. (She will arrive at the station just in time to catch the train.)
4. Nosotros llegaremos al hotel antes de la medianoche. (We will arrive at the hotel before midnight.)
5. Vosotros llegaréis a la fiesta después de las 9 de la noche. (You all will arrive at the party after 9 p.m.)
6. Ellos/Ellas llegarán al destino mañana por la mañana. (They will arrive at the destination tomorrow morning.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	llegaría
you	tú	llegarías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	llegaría
we	nosotros,nosotras	llegaríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	llegaríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	llegarían

When We Use The Conditional Tense

Unlike the future tense “will”, the conditional tense is used to say “would” in Spanish.

This Spanish verb conjugation indicates hypothetical or possible actions in the future, expressing events that would happen under certain conditions.

When used with “llegar,” it suggests potential arrivals or hypothetical situations related to arriving. For example, “Llegaría a tiempo si no hubiera tráfico” (I would arrive on time if there were no traffic).

In this example, I have shown you the imperfect tense and conditional tense combination. We’ll come onto the important imperfect tense shortly.

For now, take a look at the example sentences below of each “llegar conjugation” in the conditional tense.

Examples of the Conditional Tense “Llegar” Conjugation

1. Llegaría a la cita si no estuviera enfermo. (I would arrive at the appointment if I weren’t sick.)
2. Tú llegarías temprano si te levantaras más temprano. (You would arrive early if you woke up earlier.)
3. Él/Ella llegaría a tiempo si el tren no se retrasara. (She would arrive on time if the train weren’t delayed.)
4. Nosotros llegaríamos al destino si no hubiera mal tiempo. (We would arrive at the destination if the weather weren’t bad.)
5. Vosotros llegaríais antes si tomarais un atajo. (You all would arrive earlier if you took a shortcut.)
6. Ellos/Ellas llegarían a la meta si no se perdieran. (They would arrive at the finish line if they didn’t get lost.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	he	llegado
you	tú	has	llegado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	llegado
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	llegado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	llegado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	llegado

When We Use The Perfect Tense

The perfect tense expresses actions that have been completed recently or have a direct relevance to the present.

The translation into English is “have arrived”.

For instance, “He llegado a España” (I have arrived in Spain) implies that the arrival happened recently, or that the speaker has just arrived.

Many learners confuse when to use the preterite tense and the perfect tense. Think of the preterite tense as a fixed action that happened some time ago, or even earlier that day.

For example, “hoy he comido dos manzanas” (today I have eaten two apples) – perfect tense.

Now, compare this with “ayer, comí dos manzanas” (yesterday, I ate two apples) – preterite tense.

Examples of Perfect Tense “Llegar” Conjugations

1. He llegado a tiempo para la reunión. (I have arrived on time for the meeting.)
2. Has llegado tarde a la fiesta. (You have arrived late to the party.)
3. Él/Ella ha llegado a la estación antes de que saliera el tren. (She has arrived at the station before the train left.)
4. Nosotros hemos llegado al hotel hace unos minutos. (We have arrived at the hotel a few minutes ago.)
5. Vosotro habéis llegado al aeropuerto con anticipación. (You all have arrived at the airport early.)
6. Ellos/Ellas han llegado al destino sin contratiempos. (They have arrived at the destination without any issues.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	había	llegado
you	tú	habías	llegado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	llegado
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	llegado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	llegado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	llegado

When We Use The Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense in Spanish, is employed to describe actions that had occurred before another past action or a specific point in the past.

For instance, “Había llegado a casa cuando empezó a llover” (I had arrived home when it started raining).

Using an auxiliary and a participle again, we form ”had arrived” -”’había llegado.”

Further examples are below.

Examples of the Pluperfect Tense “Llegar” Conjugation

1. Había llegado al trabajo cuando recibí la llamada. (I had arrived at work when I received the call.)
2. Ya habías llegado a la estación cuando salí de casa. (You had already arrived at the station when I left home.)
3. Él/Ella había llegado al aeropuerto antes de que el vuelo despegara. (She had arrived at the airport before the flight took off.)
4. Nosotros habíamos llegado al restaurante cuando empezó la lluvia. (We had arrived at the restaurant when it started raining.)
5. Vosotros habíais llegado al destino antes de que oscureciera. (You all had arrived at the destination before it got dark.)
6. Ellos/Ellas ya habían llegado a la fiesta cuando llegamos nosotros. (They had already arrived at the party when we arrived.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habré	llegado
you	tú	habrás	llegado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	llegado
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	llegado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	llegado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	llegado

When We Use The Future Perfect Tense

We use the future perfect tense in Spanish to express actions that will be completed before a specific point in the future.

For instance, “Habré llegado a casa para las nueve” (I will have arrived home by nine).

In order to use this tense, you need to conjugate “haber”, then adopt the past participle form of “llegar”.

Remember, this is “llegado” – not to be confused with “llegando”, which means “arriving”.

Examples of “Llegar” in the Future Perfect 

1. Habré llegado a la estación antes de que salga el tren. (I will have arrived at the station before the train departs.)
2. Tú habrás llegado al aeropuerto para las tres de la tarde. (You will have arrived at the airport by three in the afternoon.)
3. Él/Ella habrá llegado a casa cuando empiece la cena. (She will have arrived home when dinner begins.)
4. Nosotros llegado al hotel antes de que oscurezca. (We will have arrived at the hotel before it gets dark.)
5. Vosotros habréis llegado al destino cuando cierre la tienda. (You all will have arrived at the destination when the store closes.)
6. Ellos/Ellas habrán llegado a la reunión antes de que comience. (They will have arrived at the meeting before it starts.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habría	llegado
you	tú	habrías	llegado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	llegado
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	llegado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	llegado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	llegado

When We Use The Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense in Spanish is used to describe or narrate actions that would have been completed under certain conditions in the past.

For instance, “Habría llegado a tiempo si no hubiera habido tráfico” (I would have arrived on time if there hadn’t been traffic).

This is a great use of high level language for any oral exam, by the way. If you take anything from this guide, be sure to learn the above sentence!

I have provided more example of the conditional perfect tense below.

Examples of “Llegar” in the Conditional Perfect 

1. Habría llegado a la escuela si no hubiera perdido el autobús. (I would have arrived at the school if I hadn’t missed the bus.)
2. Tú habrías llegado temprano si no te hubieras quedado dormido. (You would have arrived early if you hadn’t overslept.)
3. Él/Ella habría llegado a tiempo si el tren no se hubiera retrasado. (She would have arrived on time if the train hadn’t been delayed.)
4. Nosotros habríamos llegado al concierto si hubiéramos salido más temprano. (We would have arrived at the concert if we had left earlier.)
5. Vosotros habríais llegado antes si hubierais tomado el atajo. (You all would have arrived earlier if you had taken the shortcut.)
6. Ellos/Ellas habrían llegado al destino si no hubieran tenido problemas con el coche. (They would have arrived at the destination if they hadn’t had problems with the car.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	llegue
you	tú	llegues
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	llegue
we	nosotros,nosotras	lleguemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	lleguéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	lleguen

When We Use The Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive tense in Spanish expresses desires, doubts, or uncertainties.

In the context of “llegar”, this would be used to describe any form of uncertainty relating to arriving. This will make more sense when you study the example sentences below.

Remember that the present subjunctive is typically employed in subordinate clauses following certain verbs or expressions that convey wishes, requests, or recommendations.

Examples of “Llegar” in the Present Subjunctive

1. Espero que yo llegue a tiempo. (I hope I arrive on time.)
2. Deseo que tú llegues antes de las cinco. (I wish you would arrive before five o’clock.)
3. Es necesario que él llegue al aeropuerto pronto. (It’s necessary that he arrives at the airport soon.)
4. Quiero que nosotros lleguemos juntos. (I want us to arrive together.)
5. Ojalá que vosotros lleguéis a tiempo para la presentación. (I hope you all arrive on time for the presentation.)
6. Esperamos que ellos lleguen con seguridad. (We hope they arrive safely.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	llegara, llegase
you	tú	llegaras, llegases
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	llegara, llegase
we	nosotros,nosotras	llegáramos, llegásemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	llegarais, llegaseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	llegaran, llegasen

When We Use The Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive tense in Spanish is an example of high level language and you should do all you can to use it in any oral or written exam.

This tense is used to express hypothetical or uncertain past actions, often in subordinate clauses following certain verbs or expressions.

You can combine the imperfect subjunctive with the conditional tense, conjugating two different verbs in the process.

For example, “Si llegara a tiempo, sería perfecto” (If he were to arrive on time, it would be perfect).

Examples of “Llegar” in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Si yo llegara temprano, sería genial. (If I were to arrive early, it would be great.)
• Dudaba que tú llegaras a la cita a tiempo. (I doubted that you would arrive to the appointment on time.)
• Esperábamos que él llegara antes de la tormenta. (We hoped he would arrive before the storm.)
• Si nosotros llegáramos antes, podríamos descansar más. (If we were to arrive earlier, we could rest more.)
• Prefería que vosotros llegarais con más energía. (I preferred that you all arrived with more energy.)
• Era improbable que ellos llegaran a tiempo para la cena. (It was unlikely that they would arrive on time for dinner.)

Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	hubiera,hubiese	llegado
you	tú	hubieras,hubieses	llegado
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	hubiera,hubiese	llegado
we	nosotros,nosotras	hubiéramos,hubiésemos	llegado
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	hubierais,hubieseis	llegado
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	hubieran,hubiesen	llegado

 

When We Use The Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

We use the Preterite Perfect Subjunctive to express actions that would have been completed before another past event, often in hypothetical or conditional situations.

This tense conveys past actions that are contrary to reality or unlikely to have occurred.

The example sentences below provide more context on how to use this tense with the Spanish verb “llegar”.

Examples of the Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

1. Espero que yo haya llegado a tiempo. (I hope I have arrived on time.)
2. Dudo que tú hayas llegado al aeropuerto. (I doubt you have arrived at the airport.)
3. Es importante que él haya llegado antes de la reunión. (It’s important that he has arrived before the meeting.)
4. Ojalá que nosotros hayamos llegado sin contratiempos. (I hope we have arrived without any issues.)
5. Recomiendo que vosotros hayáis llegado con anticipación. (I recommend that you all have arrived early.)
6. No creo que ellos hayan llegado todavía. (I don’t think they have arrived yet.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡llega!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡llegue!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡lleguemos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡llegad!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡lleguen!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative for “llegar” is used to give commands or orders in a direct, affirmative manner. We would use it here to tell someone to arrive at a specific place or time.

Examples of “Llegar” in the Imperative Spanish Verb Conjugation

• Tú: Llega a la estación antes de las cinco. (Arrive at the station before five o’clock.)
• Nosotros: Lleguemos puntualmente a la reunión. (Let’s arrive punctually to the meeting.)
• Vosotros: Llegad a la cita sin demora. (Arrive at the appointment without delay.)
• Ustedes: Lleguen al destino con precaución. (Arrive at the destination with caution.)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡no llegues!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no llegue!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no lleguemos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no lleguéis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no lleguen!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative for “llegar” is employed to give commands or orders in a direct, negative manner. It’s used when instructing someone not to arrive at a specific place or time.

In order to use it, just add “no” to the start of the statement and take the present subjunctive conjugation.

Examples of “Llegar” in the Negative Imperative

• Tú: No llegues tarde a la cita. (Don’t arrive late to the appointment.)
• Nosotros: No lleguemos después del cierre de la tienda. (Let’s not arrive after the store closes.)
• Vosotros: No lleguéis sin avisar. (Don’t arrive without notifying.)
• Ustedes: No lleguen sin previo aviso. (Don’t arrive without prior notice.)

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